There's a rat in my heap, what am I gonna do?

(To paraphrase UB40 ...)

Some months ago I was working on the plot when I heard a rustling coming from the compost heap. I am not one of those people who jumps on a chair at the merest hint of a mouse, but my skin crawled at the sight of a rat crawling through my kitchen and garden waste.

I left the rat to it, hoping that it would fall prey to the regular baiting programme in place on my allotment site to deal with the pest problem. But this week I was reminded of the issue of rats on compost heaps, and allotments in general: there was a reader's question about it in one of the gardening magazines I read, which annoyingly I now can't track down and I caught a programme on Radio 4 dedicated to the issue of Britain's growing rat problem. Then on visiting the plot today I noticed a sign warning allotmenteers to look out for (and alert the correct authorities to) any dead rats after the latest lot of bait was laid.   

I am sure there are no rats in my compost heap at the moment - it's pretty sponge-like given the recent rain. I did fall prey to a mouse infestation in the past when I had a Dalek-type plastic compost bin in my garden. I'd failed to mix the browns and the greens properly*, and a mouse had made itself very comfortable in a big lump of shredded paper, until I scared the life out of myself - and it, probably - by lifting the lid to take out some compost. A good mix with a fork put paid to the mouse's papery pied-a-terre and it must have found digs elsewhere as it didn't return.

I think it bears repeating that, as it explains in this Garden Organic factsheet on composting, rats or indeed mice nesting in your heap is a sign that it's too dry. But presuming they're already there, should you worry? In answer to the first point, you should worry a bit - they're a danger to human health and their gnawing can do a lot of damage. But (yes, there's always a but) as this information sheet from the composting group York Rotters points out, it's not the end of the world to have a rat in your heap, provided you wear gloves while handling composting material, turning the heap and so on.

But, presuming you've decided the rats have to go, if only to avoid the prospect of a furry surprise one day when you give the heap a stir, what can you do to evict the little blighters? The sage advice offered by Garden Organic is to "add water until it has the consistency of a wrung-out sponge".  The aforementioned magazine suggested weighting down the heap with bricks to ensure no spaces were left for rodents to inhabit. I remember a work colleague of mine saying he'd constructed a completely rat-proof composter but I never got the full details from him: but the York Rotters do have some practical tips and also suggest various commercially available ratproof bins.

*(You can read an extract of my book on the subject of composting here.)

Comments

[Simon Kirby]

Hi Jane

I caught that Radio4 programme too. I was stunned to learn that late-eighties/early-nineties Newbury, where I live, was the centre of a poison-tolerant rat infestation, though in more than ten years I've never even seen one on the allotments.

I like rats. OK, I wouldn't want one living in my house, but then I wouldn't want a giant panda living in my house either. Kenneth Grahame was right - bright, resourceful creatures. I'll be putting lots of snuggly newsprint in my compost bins.

Simon

[Dave]

I had a rat in my compost bin a few months back and I have to completely disagree with the observation that it is a sign the heap is too dry. My heap is completely the opposite - far too wet and soggy!

[VP]

Hi Jane,

I had a rat in my compost heap a few years ago. I followed Garden Organic's excellent advice and also banged against the side of the bin at every available opportunity, but to no avail. I finally had to 'evict' the occupants and moved a full bin of compost to the bin next door so that I could put down some galvanised wire under the bin to stop the critters from coming back. It's worked for the past 3 years...

[Woody Wilbury]

Rat in mi compost
what mi gonna do?

Got to get the flow of the lyrics right!

[Patrick]

I had a rat, actually a nest, in my compost a few years ago. It my case I'm certain they were there because it was warm.

Between the time I dug them up, noticed them and they ran away was just a few seconds. No time to worry. They never came back.

I've always been a little careful when digging in the compost since then.

[Philip Voice]

I have a love hate relationship with Rats. They scare me to death if one bolts when I lift a piece of wood or move something but at the same time I am fascinated by how the Rat goes about it's business.

I actually think they are quite clever.

There is a health problem - especially if there is an infestation - but gardeners are faced with many health problems when gardening, including Cat Faeces, Tetnus, bee and wasp stings or even Adder bites.

A Rat in the compost will actually assist with the process of digestion but I still do not think that they should be encouraged around habitation.

However, and you might think I am a bit wacky, there may be an argument that the Rat, if managed properly, can help digest our huge waste problem.

Once you have gotten over the shock of the thought of it!

http://www.landscapejuice.com/2007/10/is-the-despised.html

[Matron]

I am forever finding critters in my compost heap. I have a resident frog at the moment, there is a lovely damp space between the layers of carpet on top. During the Summer however, I found a nest of baby mice!!

[dilly dalley doolittle]

Hi. Just tuning in from Canberra, Australia. We have a chicken shed on our "allotment" or ("community plot" as they are called here) and lots of straw and organic grains in the shed and so have had mice nesting. So I relate to all the others above who report mice/rats. We've luckily only had mice - no rats yet. Phew. Admirable creatures I'm sure. Big though - huh, for rodents. Wild rodents. Anyway.....I have generally ignored the mice and have found that if I disturb a nest, the chickens pounce on them and then they are no more. Distressing for my young children but I usually look the other way and regard it as nature's way. Anyway...again...I went to harvest my corn crop just the other day (it is summer here) and it appears that the "curse of the were-rodent" has managed to nibble its way through almost all my corn cobs. Aagh. Wish I'd been more observant when "were-rodent" first discovered corn. The whole lot is nibbled. Has anyone else ever experienced this? I may have to try and trap the beasts as I have another younger corn crop that is currently untouched but not yet ripe. I'm pretty sure it isn't our ravenous native cockatoos as the bite marks are distinctly teeth like. You learn new things every season.

[jen]

saw a rat today making its way into my compost bin it is still there what can I do I hate them

[Ratatatat]

I have been putting feed out for a hedgehog which I found in March, snuggled up under the bushes. I saw him/her eating from the dish one night and assumed that it was the same animal I was helping to maintain its body weight for this season and whilst it was potentially producing further issue. However, this evening, I saw a rat, a rather large rat eating some sultanas which has been provided for our "tame" blackbird. The rat appeared several times in daylight and only feet from where I was sitting. Later I saw it feeding on the ground below our bird feeder. I was in shock for a while but I have decided, to discourage the rat, to stop putting out food for the hedgehog as it was in more probablility being eaten by the rat. I hope I am right and that "Spike" will find his usual allocation of slugs and snails, whilst I track down where the rat is living. There are two holes in the compost heap which could be some indication of its habitat.